Tell It To The Frogs
by WeasleysWizardingWheezer
Summary: Some say when the world went to hell it was better to just give up. I didnt think that way. There's always hope, and if you dont think so then just tell it to the frogs. Eventual DarylxOC Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Right now I can't really remember how the world was before this happened. It's hard to remember how great something was with the reality of how it is now hitting you in the face every five seconds. How I wanted the world to be, on the other hand, was a completely different matter. For starters, if I had my way it wouldn't be raining right now, and second, this post-apocalyptic zombie shit wouldn't be happening.

I pull my rucksack back onto my shoulders as I stand up from the highway. The sun was barely coming over the horizon, breaking the clouds with brilliant spectral glimmers. I push my bangs from my face and kick an empty soda can down the tarmac.

I'm late. Dammit. Not like they'd worry about me anyway. They know how I get; I go off for walks and don't come back till sun up. But it's past sun up now. Great. I glance down the road and fidget with the small knife that I have hooked at my side. No walkers as of yet. There's always time though. There's always time for a bloody horde of them to come along, knock you off your feet and turn you into a three course meal. I doubt I'd be a very appetizing three course meal though, but it's not like you can walk up to these guys and yell 'I'm just skin and bone!' like Shaggy did on Scooby Doo.

That's the bad thing about this zombie lark, they aren't just guys in masks, they aren't Halloween freaks up a few months early for trick or treat. These guys are the real frigging living dead. One bite from these guys and you might as well top yourself there and then. That's if you've got a gun handy.

The good thing about these zombies though, they can't run, they aren't like the zombies I've seen on Twenty-Eight Weeks Later or Left For Dead, not like it matters, give them a few seconds and you can be surrounded by the assholes.

I traipse back through the woods and leave the highway behind. Nothing there but overturned cars and corpses, cars ain't much use unless there's fuel, and the corpses, well, are they really dead, dead or just dead? My eyes glance around instinctively every few seconds; I watch my feet as well, as cliché as it sounds, I wouldn't want to step on a twig when a walker's only a few feet away.

I let out a sigh and have a quick swig of water from my canteen. It's hot already, too hot for my liking. Coming from Alaska and being used to the snow and then being thrown into this rubbish is enough to make anyone hate the heat. I hate a lot of things nowadays.

The quiet chatter of the campsite meets my ears as I emerge into the thinner part of the woods. I see Shane, the cop… ex-cop… I suppose the law system can be thrown in the fire in this instance. He's pacing round the clearing closest to the woods, picking up sticks and logs for a small fire later tonight. The RV is visible too, no doubt Dale is still sat on the roof in his deck chair, rifle in his hands, binoculars round his neck, staring off into the horizon, waiting… hoping… that the others come back. We sent some off a couple of nights ago to get some supplies from the city. We ain't heard head or tail of them since then. They should be back today or tomorrow, probably the latter, we all know the city is crawling with walkers.

Shane spots me as I emerge from the trees, my rucksack slips down to the crook of my elbow and I drop my canteen back into the open pouch.

"Ya'll shouldn't be going off on your own like that," He said shaking his head. "What if a walker spots you?"

"Then I'd put my knife through its skull like I did the last one," I reply throwing him a cocky wink. I can be too cocky sometimes. I was when this first happened, before I joined this group, that's how I got the scar on my side. Some crazed nut decided to shoot me, thought I was a walker, I suppose it was my own fault really, should've surveyed him a while before approaching him.

"Just watch your back, ok, Saskia?" I turned and resisted the urge to pop out my hip as I replied.

"Yes, Sir," I said saluting him, "You don't have to be such a worrywart, Shane." I turn on my heel and head towards the camp.

I drop down on the logs in front of the long burnt out fire and pull out a few packs of jerky that I found in the cars on the highway. Tearing the bag I take a long sniff as the smell wafts up my nose. There was nothing in this new post-apocalyptic world as amazing as beef jerky, and barbequed beef jerky at that.

Lori, a tall brown haired woman, emerges from her tent not long after I take my first few bites of jerky. I hold the bag out to her but she declines politely.

"Hey, Sask," She asks, "Will you watch Carl for me, just for a few minutes?"

"Sure," I say, "Tell him and Sofia to get their butts over 'ere and I'll feed them some jerky." She chuckles at my light-heartedness as quickly speaks to Carl before sending him and Sofia over to me.

The two kids sit opposite me. I forget how old they are, but it's too young to see the amount of death that they have already seen. It doesn't affect them much though, or at least they don't show it. Carl misses his dad. He was in hospital when this virus got out and the whole world went to pot.

He died. Shane was at the hospital when it happened, but he managed to get away, he managed to get out and save Lori and Carl. At least Carl has someone to look after him though, Shane looks after him, and Lori of course, but Shane is like is dad now. He'd be the perfect dotting dad if the world wasn't in turmoil. Then again, if the world wasn't in turmoil Carl would still have his dad.

Sofia still has her mom and dad. He isn't much of a dad mind, more like the biggest sexist prick that has ever walked the earth. I don't like him. I know he hits Carol, everybody does. We aren't blind to the bruises even though she shrugs them off. She's loyal to him, something I wouldn't be, I'd have written that guy off a long time ago.

I offer Carl and Sofia some beef jerky, which they take gratefully. I then pull out a mini travel chess set from my bag. I've been teaching them how to play. Sofia ain't half bad; Carl still needs some work though. Still, it gives us something to do.

"Shane says he's gonna teach me to shoot soon, Saskia." Said Carl excitedly, his face turned downcast as Sofia took his knight.

"You just make sure you point that thing the right way when you do," I say jokingly, "You remember me telling you 'bout the guy who got me?"

Carl nodded. "You got him back though,"

"I did," I pop another piece of jerky in my mouth. "Just remember one thing, you have to be sure that you really want to pull the trigger when you do."

The mood turned solemn for a moment before I noticed a move on the checked board. I bent close to Carl and whispered the move in his ear. His face lit up as he dropped his bishop in line with Sofia's king.

"Check mate!" He yelled triumphantly.

"Hey! That's no fair!" Cried Sofia, "You cheated!"

"I was merely suggesting a helpful hint, my lady," I said putting on a fake British accent and bowing as low as I could. The pair giggled at my accent before they set the game up again. Carol was observing quietly from by her tent.

Lori came back soon after the second round of chess started. I didn't ask her where she'd been, it wasn't my place to nose about, but I had a feeling that she'd been off with Shane again. Once again, I'm not blind to the blatantly obvious.

The rest of the day was spent sharpening my many knives. I like knives, they're sharp and silent. They can slice right through anything given the time to do so. I would much rather have knives than a gun, but given the circumstances a gun could come in handy too. I helped Carol clean some clothes with Amy. Amy's sister Andrea was one of the people who had gone scavenging this week, Amy was worried for her.

I climb up onto the RV next to Dale towards midday. The camp is content. Carol and Sofia are sitting by their tent, a mother and daughter chat. Carl is fidgeting whilst Lori cuts his hair; honestly I've never seen a boy fidget so much in my entire life. It's only a darn haircut. I'd stolen Dales chair earlier on, not like he minded, he was always kind to me. He was like the grandpa I never had. I hear the giggles of Lori not long before an annoying wail of a car alarm sets off up the hills.

Shane is up in moments, as am I. Dale is staring off into the distance through his binoculars. I can't see anything in these darn hills. "Talk to me Dale!" Shane yells up to the RV.

"Can't tell yet," He replies, bringing the binoculars away from his face. I squint into the hills as the noise draws louder. Amy turns towards the dirt road, her hand just above her eyes, shielding them from the sun.

"Is it them?" She asks hopefully. "Are they back?"

I glance down to Shane, he's loading his shotgun. Always rash, that's Shane. I wouldn't put it past him to blow a hole in the poor guy who's driving that car. Dale raises the binoculars to his face again.

"I'll be damned," He whispers. I look at him then back to the hills where a red spot is just visible to my eyes.

"What is it?" Amy asks again, a frantic edge creeping into her voice.

"A stolen car's my guess." I jump down from the RV at Dale's words, forgetting the ladder completely.

I land, a dodgy landing mind, but a land none the less, and head towards the dirt track just like everybody else as the red car pulls round the corner. I chuckled to myself when I saw who was in the car. Trust it to be Glenn.

"Holy crap!" Said Dale, surveying the car as the wail continued to echo round the hills. "Turn that thing off!"

Glenn stepped out of the car, a beam on his face, "I don't know how," He said shrugging his shoulders. Does he want to draw the walkers up here?

Everybody is on him in a second, yelling, talking, asking him questions, all trying to be heard over one another and the screech of the car alarm. Shane was barely audible but Glenn popped the hood on his request. Amy was yammering about Andrea and the whole thing was making my head ache. The screech dies as Shane pulled something from the front of the car.

"Is she ok?" Amy was asking, "Why isn't she with you?"

"She's ok, yeah." Said Glenn breathlessly. He stood behind the car door, it was more of a shield to the onslaught of questions he was facing at the moment. "They're all ok, everybody is… well Merle, not so much…"

"Are you crazy driving this bastard up here?" Asked Shane who was now hunched over the hood. "Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Glenn looked down and I snorted.

"Gah, leave him be, Shane." I quip, "We all need a bit of a thrill sometimes," I smile at Glenn who returned the favour. Shane however didn't seem too pleased at my comment. He was about to reply but Dale cut him off.

"I think we're ok,"

"Don't be stupid, ok." Shane replied harshly. God, tension in this place rises like a damn tsunami.

"That alarm was echoin' all over these hills, it would be hard to pin point the exact source." Dale was right, we knew it, but Shane was less than impressed. "I'm not arguing, just saying… Just think things through a little more carefully next time, will ya?" He added to Glenn who shuffled uncomfortably.

"Sorry… I got a cool car…" It was hard not to smile at that one. I walked right up to Glenn and smacked him lightly on the head.

"Trust you to think about how cool the car is," I say giving him a small hug. "We're just glad that everyone's ok, that's all." Glenn seemed comforted at the hug. I pulled back from him just as a delivery truck pulled round the corner. They were ok… well apart from Merle apparently… not like anyone would care about that, only Daryl. His brother.

Andrea was first from the truck, she ran towards Amy, her face scrunched with emotion. It was a heartfelt reunion. They embraced one another; Amy's whimpering drowning in her sister's shoulder. I could see Carl off to the side, tears were in his eyes. He missed his dad. He wanted a reunion like Amy and Andrea. I suppose everybody would like a reunion like that. I would. But if I had my reunion, the person I hugged wouldn't hesitate in taking a bite out of my neck… and I guess I wouldn't hesitate putting a bullet in his head. Somebody has more than likely already beat me to it.

"You are a welcome sight!" Exclaimed Dale, embracing the others. I hugged Andrea quickly after Amy had released her.

"Welcome back," I say. "This one wouldn't shut up about you," I nudge Amy's shoulder gently. "Toler her you'd be alright."

"How'd you get outta there anyway?" Asked Shane. I smiled, punching T-Dog lightly in the shoulder. He returned the gesture and everyone moved further into camp.

"New guy," Said Glenn, not moving from his car. "He got us out." A new guy? Another survivor? We haven't come across any of them in months. To be honest, I was the last they found.

"Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello," Morales yelled inbetween hugging his wife and kids. Everyone glanced over towards the truck, towards the new survivor that was emerging. "Guy's a cop, like you."

You could have heard a pin drop as the new guy emerged. He was dressed completely in police attire, had a badge on and everything. A small amount of stubble covered his chin. Shane looked shocked, more so than I have ever seen him before. He stepped back a little, almost steadying himself. He pointed behind us, a whisper of something escaping his lips. Then a cry, a cry of nothing more than complete and utter joy.

"Dad!" It was Carl, "Dad! Dad!" Carl ran by me, right towards the man he called Dad.

The cop embraced him and the pair tumbled to the ground. The cop held onto Carl with nothing less than urgency, he stood to his feet, tears in his eyes as he walked towards Lori. Everyone's eyes were on them as they grabbed onto each other. It was a beautiful sight, a welcome sight, Carl finally had his dad back, and Lori had her husband. Perhaps the world was setting itself right.

The camp was quiet that night, a sense of peace filled all of our hearts. The fire burned brightly in the centre. I sat next to Glenn, opposite us, Lori, Carl and the new guy, Rick. He told us of his time, about how he managed to get out of the hospital.

I suppose out of all of us, he had the most fucked up way of finding out how the world had gone insane. He knew nothing of it, woke up, his family was gone. The dead walking the streets and he had no idea how any of it had happened. It was so cliché, just like on Twenty Eight Days Later. I suppose though, the best has now happened and he is with his family again, that's all that matters in this world now. Family… our own, and staying alive. That's all we have to do now, survive, ride it out until the dead die from starvation.

I sipped at my cup of tea, burning my tongue as I swallowed. I pulled my coat higher up around my neck, the cold was nipping at my neck. Over on the other side Ed, Carol's beast of a husband through another log into his fire.

"Hey, Ed," Called out Shane. "Wanna rethink that log?"

Here he goes again. That damned fool of a man. Does he not care for the rules? Does he want to get us killed? Does he think the rules don't apply for his sorry ass?

"It's cold man," He said, turning his head towards the sky.

"Cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" I doubt he could help the agitated tone that crept into his voice. Hell, that man irked me by just being here, I wish someone would just slap him and get the darn thing over with.

"I said, 'it's cold,' mind your own business for once." I'd have hit him just for that, the great oaf.

Shane stood from his place quickly. You know that moment when you wanna get some popcorn? When you watch a good fight at an ice hockey game and you wanna cheer and make sides? This was one of those moments, I hope he's gonna punch him, slap him, something like that, teach him not to be so self-centred. Didn't happen though, did it? Course not.

"Ed, you sure you wanna have this convocation?" Shane's voice was stern.

"Go on," Said Ed, "Pull that thing out, go on." He directed his comment at Carol.

I resisted the urge to groan. That sexist lazy pig, he's too far up his own arse to get up and move that stinking log himself. Carol, being the loyal woman she is, stepped forwards and took the log from the fire. I rolled my eyes. She was too good for her own good.

"Sorry 'bout the fire," She apologised to Shane, but he waved it off.

"No apology needed. Ya'll have a good night, ok?" He stood up and left the three, "Appreciate the cooperation." He added snidely to Ed.

The convocation then turned to the matter of telling Daryl about what happened to Merle. T-Dog wanted to take the blame for dropping the key, but Rick wanted to tell him because it was he who in fact chained Merle to the bar. In the end it was decided that Rick would be the one to tell Daryl, it would be as Glenn put it 'might sound better coming from a white guy.'

"We could lie," Suggested Amy.

"We all know that ain't gonna work," I said taking a sip from my tea. "Daryl would still wanna go an' look for him, just like we would if it was someone in our family."

"We tell the truth… We did what had to be done, we all know Merle was out of control, he would have gotten us all killed." Andrea stopped and turned her head to Lori. "Your husband did what was necessary, and if Merle got left behind it was nobody's fault."

"Tell that to Daryl…" I mumbled under my breath.

"I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale said, raising his bushy eyebrows.

He was right; there was no way we could tell Daryl about Merle without him blowing a fuse. That guy was more agitated than a starving walker. One way or another we were going to have to tell Daryl what happened, and tell him straight, but nothing good will come of this, 'cause nothing good comes from the Dixons.

"I stopped just long enough to chain the door." Piped up T-Dog, "Maybe half a dozen geeks could squeeze up against the door at any one time, not enough to break that lock. My point is that Dixons' alive… still up there… handcuffed on that roof. That's on us…"

The camp died down after that. Everybody retired to their tents. Mine was next to Glenn's, just opposite the RV. I could hear Dale on the roof still, he wouldn't go down till late morning when he would switch with Shane or T-Dog.

I climbed into my sleeping bag and pulled a ragged old photo from under my pillow. I was in the right of the picture, my mother next to me. It wasn't that long ago, I look almost the same as I am now; my mother looked the same till she got bit. Her hair was red, like mine, it hung just past her shoulders, she was in a summer flowered dress. It was warm that summer, the best summer on record apparently. On the left was my dad, he was a tall well-built man, with black hair and dark eyes. He was smiling too; his arm was hooked around my mother's back, protecting her, always protecting us.

My father was the first to go. It was a Monday, I distinctly remember because we would always go out for a meal on Monday's. I was at home, we all were at home, we thought that we would be safe from all this… it was on the news everywhere… and then they were everywhere. It was our neighbours, they were screaming, there where gunshots echoing up the street but that only attracted them. I don't remember how many there were but when they broke down the door my dad just told us to run. I didn't want to leave him, I was screaming the whole time, but it was my mom who dragged me out the back. We ran as fast as we could, but I could still hear him screaming in my head. I could still see them tearing into his flesh… there was so much blood.

We got into the car, drove towards the highway… it was blocked of course and there was geeks everywhere. We abandoned the car, took the clothes and food we had in the back in case something like this happened. We took the guns too. Dad made sure we had the guns.

I don't remember how they got my mom. She didn't tell me she got bit. When the fever started coming I knew that she wasn't just sick. It was the Tuesday when I put a bullet through her head. I was on my own for a while, just trying to survive. I guess being a major horror movie fanatic got me up on the knowhow of all these zombies. Don't get bit. Don't get scratched. Be silent, and do not, unless it is completely necessary, fire a gun.

I met up with Glenn in Atlanta not long after that, I kept moving, stole cars when I needed to, and avoided the cities. It was the only way to stay alive. I was grateful for the group for taking me in, I wished I'd had a group like them to start off with, I wouldn't have had to spend so many of my nights cooped up in the trees.

I turn over and pushed the picture back under my pillow. Staring through the flap in the tent I could clearly see the stars. I used to watch the stars in Alaska. They seemed brighter back then, back when there was hope for everybody. My dad used to tell me 'bout the God's who made the stars, all the myths and legends surrounding them. I bet the God's didn't have to deal with a zombie apocalypse… well lucky them. They don't know of the real world.

Stewing in my thoughts I flick off the light, "Stupid world…" I say to myself, closing my eyes.

* * *

The morning was bright despite the thunderstorm we had late on in the night. I crawl out of my sleeping back and stretch my arms over my head, hearing my shoulders crack a little. I told Carl and Sofia we could go climbing trees today. Not too far in the woods, but just far enough to get a decent tree. Lori didn't seem to mind, she knew I'd protect them. Jacqui offered to come too; I didn't mind Jacqui was good company when you needed a chat.

I climbed out of the tent, deciding to skip breakfast as Daryl would probably be back with some squirrels from his hunt. I don't mind squirrels but they can get a bit tiring after a while… maybe he'll bring us a deer or something. Yeah, that would suit me better.

Carl is sitting on the log with Sofia as I head towards the burnt out fire. Their eyes turn excitedly towards me, and I jump up and fold my arms up towards my armpits like an ape.

"Ready to be monkeys?" I ask them, turning to Jacqui who laughed at my feeble monkey impression. They nod excitedly and we head off towards the trees.

"Not too far, Carl!" Lori called after him; I gave her a wave of reassurance, and fingered the knife in my pocket.

The two walked ahead of me and Jacqui as we headed towards the first cluster of climbable trees. The woods were fairly thick on either side but I could still hear the clatter and clang of pans at the campsite.

"What about this one?" I ask Sofia, pointing up at a small tree for them to start on. She shook her head.

"No way, that one's too small." I popped my hip, and raised my eyebrows at her.

"Too small, really? I bet you couldn't climb all the way up."

"I bet you couldn't climb all the way up that one," Carl interjected. He pointed towards a rather tall tree just in the next cluster behind some bushes.

"Oh, I bet I could." I say, watching as they head towards the cluster of bushes. "Kids," I mumble. Jacqui laughed at me as the rustle of them disappearing behind the trees sounded.

"Not too far you two," Jacqui said. "They never listen do th-"

Carl's scream was the first I heard. I didn't hesitate I just ran, Jacqui behind me. "Carl! Sofia!" They burst out from behind the bushes fear written all over their faces.

"What is it?" Jacqui asked as they ran up to us.

"Walker! There's a walker!" Yelled Sofia.

Jacqui's eyes widened, first in shock then in fear. I heard the snarl of it first and I pushed Jacqui towards the clearing. "Take them. Go!" Sofia and Carl ran first. I heard their yells echoing around the trees. "I'll be fine. Just go."

Jacqui ran then and I took a deep breath. I pushed forwards through the trees and then into the clearing. I could hear shouts of the others as I laid my eyes on the walker. It was bent on hands and knees, hunched over a deer. Guts were everywhere and it looked like it was having a good old feed. I pulled my knife from my pocket. If I could get close enough I could stab it in the head, right through the skull.

"Saskia!" That's if they didn't let it know I was behind it first. "Sask!" I sighed in frustration as they all emerged from the brush behind me. T-Dog, Shane, Rick, Dale and Glenn all with weapons in their hands. I didn't bat an eyelid when they asked me if I was ok, they knew better.

Shane had the gun levelled at the walkers head, my knife was ready in my palm in case it turned. The others followed. I heard Amy gasp from somewhere behind as the walker turned towards us. I stepped back, by knife not being suitable enough to strike with now that it had turned. I let the guys deal with it. They hit it with everything they had until Dale severed its head.

I glanced back at the deer as Dale spoke. "That's the first one we've had up here… they never come this far up the mountain."

"They're running out of food in the city…" Everyone turned silent at that comment.

A rustle broke the silence. Everyone's heads snapped up, their eyes darting from place to place. Shane had his gun pointed out to the trees, always the gun. I glanced back at the deer. Three arrows. That only meant one thing.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl's back. "That's my deer," He seemed oddly calm. But I suppose that could always be the eye of the storm.

"Look at it, all gnawed on by this…" Yeah, definitely the eye of the storm. "Filthy! Disease-bearing! Motherless! Poxy bastard!" Each word ended with a kick to the already fallen walker's torso.

I turned from the scene and headed back to the RV. Everybody else was waiting by the RV. "Watch out," I say a smirk on my face. "Storm's coming."

Let's just say that things didn't get better from there. They told Daryl about Merle and of course all hell broke loose. Well what did they expect? Now it seems that we're losing the only people capable of shooting a gun to go and look for that idiot Merle Dixon. Great. Just great.


	2. Chapter 2

Lori wasn't pleased that Rick was heading out again. Carl was upset too. I could see it, even though Carl didn't cry like his mother. For the rest of the day I was on washing duty with Carol, Andrea, Amy and Jacqui. I hated washing duty, but everybody did their bit around camp. Everyone but Ed. Right now the lazy arse sat in the back of his van, cigarette in his mouth and a scathing look on his face.

My hands were raw from scrubbing, up until now we had been washing in silence. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Shane attempting to teach Carl how to catch frogs.

"I do miss my Maytag," Said Carol, she was scrubbing a pair of jeans on the washboard as she spoke.

"I miss my Benz, my sat-nav." Andrea sighed.

"I miss my coffee maker, with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey." Jacqui rang out a t-shirt as she spoke.

"I miss my computer… texting." Amy stared off into the water. I missed texting too.

"I miss my x-box… and the internet." I say… Internet, what a blissful thing. I missed it terribly. Who could I stalk on twitter now?

"I miss my vibrator," Andrea said nonchalantly. I snorted into my hand at the comment. A vibrator! Of all things to miss.

"Me too," Carol added. That was it, we all dropped into hysterical laughter at that. Carol. Carol Peletier used a vibrator. Well I didn't see that one coming.

"Whats so funny?" God damn it. Why doesn't Ed just shove off and leave Carol be?

"Just swapping war stories, Ed" Andrea said a snarky hint in her voice. "Problem, Ed?" She asked, when he didn't head back to his truck.

"None that concerns you," He said, venom edging into his voice. "You ought to focus on your work, this ain't no comedy club."

I rolled my eyes at the pig and Andrea scoffed less than quietly. We returned to our work, and awkward silence filling the area where laughter had once been. I could still feel Ed's presence behind us. It was if a gigantic cloud of pure and utter hatred was being thrown over us. Why did he think us worthless? Why did he have the right to tell us what we could and couldn't laugh at?

"Ed, tell you what," Said Andrea, she stood and turned towards him. "You don't like how your laundry's done, then you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She threw his shirt at him forcefully.

Our heads snapped round as Ed tossed it back a lot harder than he should have done. "Ain't my job missy."

"Andrea don't…" Amy warned, she stood, as did the rest of us, apart from Carol.

"What is your job, Ed?" Andrea pressed, walking towards him. "Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?"

"Sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart mouthed bitch, tell you what." I couldn't hold the growl that echoed in the back of my throat. "Come on, let's go."

Carol got up from where she sat. I put my arm out in front of her as Andrea spoke again. "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed."

"And I say it's none of your business, come on now you heard me."

"No, she doesn't have to go with you." I say turning to Carol who walked by my outstretched arm. Andrea rested her hand on Carol's shoulder.

"Please," She whispered. "It doesn't matter."

"Hey! Don't think I won't knock you on your ass." Andrea's mouth was open at the threat.

"You won't knock anyone on their ass. To be fair it's you who needs to get out of yours," I said standing alongside Andrea and Amy. Ed's eyes turned down to me; there was a creepy look in them. I held my ground, my chin up.

"You can shut your yap too, missy." He turned back to Carol, his hand gesturing for her to follow him. "Are you gonna come now, or are you gonna regret it later?"

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Said Jacqui with venom. "Yeah, we've seen them."

Ed stepped forwards. He was almost chest to chest with Andrea and he was looking down at all of us. Nobody flinched. "Ya'll don't wanna keep prodding the bull here, now I am done talking, come on."

Without so much as another word he grabbed Carol's arm and tried to pull her away from us. "No, Carol you don't have t-"

"Tell you what?" Yelled Ed over all of us, "Tell me what?" His hand stretched back and with a sickening crunch hit Carol in the face. We pulled her back aghast. Andrea was first to shove him back, Amy and Jacqui pulled her away as Andrea and I stood between them. He tried to get to her, tried to grab for her arm, but we kept pushing him back. "Come here!" He yelled.

"No! Get away from her!" I yelled just as he was pulled back by Shane.

"Gerroff me!" He yelled.

Shane threw him to the ground and in a series of sickening punches he hit Ed again and again in the side of his face. Carol was shouting, her eyes pricked with tears. He needed a punch but not like this.

"Shane! Shane stop!" Andrea was yelling.

"You put your hands to your wife, your little girl, or anybody else in this camp, I will not stop next time, d'you hear me?" He asked his hands gripping at Ed's shirt. "I'll beat you to death, Ed." With a final punch to the face Shane stalked off.

Carol scrambled from Amy's grip and over to Ed, she was mumbling over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Ed."

* * *

After that fiasco Ed was taken back to camp. Carol would no doubt wait on him night and day until he was up and beating her again. I decided to walk back to camp, Andrea and Amy were staying to catch some fish for later on. I walked swiftly, it would no doubt be my job to help skin the squirrels that Daryl brought back from his hunt. I didn't mind the blood, or the smell, I was probably the only female in this camp that didn't mind the sight or the smell.

My dad taught me how to skin. Ma' didn't like the smell in the house, so we had to do it outside. We mostly skinned rabbits. We weren't red-necks, but my dad always thought that it would be good to know how to skin just in case something like this happened. Well, not like this, nobody could have imagined this would happen, but I guess he thought if I ever needed food then it would be a good thing to know.

The camp was quiet when I got back; I took the squirrels from where they were hanging and started to skin a few. Somewhere along the line everybody disappeared off to the top of the hillside. Jim's gone a bit nutty, been digging all day. It's his choice what he does, might be a bit delusional from the heat, but he ain't hurting no one, I don't see any reason why they should be messing in what he's doing.

I made a few slits in the skin before tearing it away. The head was always the hardest to get off but when it did it was easy from there on. I gutted it, dropping the entrails in a tin bucket before slicing the meat away. I'd wash it later. Six squirrels later, I hung the rest back up and gave the meat to Jacqui. Shane was washing fish with Sofia and Carl. It looks like we have an option tonight.

"D'you think they'll come back this time?" Dale asks me as I climb up onto the RV to relieve him of watch.

I sat down my legs dangling over the side, glancing over to the setting sun. "They'll come back. They always do. Besides, they have Glenn, Daryl, and I wouldn't put it past Rick to get back. He wouldn't leave his family again."

"You're right… He seems a good man."

"They were all good men once," I say. Dale hands me the rifle and heads down from the ladder.

Soon the smell of cooked fish and squirrel is filling my nostrils. I wait atop the RV until I am called. Jacqui hands me a plate and I once again take my place on the van. It's chilly so I pull the neck of my jumper up.

I eat slowly, savouring every bite. The dinner is the best I've had in weeks. When the others get back, I'm sure they'll agree. The convocation from the camp flows my way every few moments. I catch snippets of it here and there. Right now it lingers on Dale's watch and why he winds it every day.

The flames of the fire are higher tonight. Morales built the wall higher around it so it couldn't be seen from a distance. I could see that everyone welcomed the heat, it was a calmer, light-heartedness that filled the whole camp. I glance out at the horizon, hoping to see or hear the truck. Glenn would like this meal, if there is any left for them. I'm sure they could cook some up when they got back.

Amy headed to the RV not long after everybody had finished eating. She was attempting to discreetly go to the bathroom but Andrea's questions wouldn't let her do so. I rested my head back in the chair, eyes turned up towards the sky. The stars were exceedingly bright tonight.

"We're out of toilet paper!" She yelled as she exited the van, I chuckled to myself, but the sudden screams cut me off. Amy was screaming, what for I didn't know. I leapt from my perch and looked over the side, a walker was just taking a chunk out of her arm. I stood up and spun around, they were everywhere.

Everyone was shouting and Shane didn't hesitate he pulled his gun and fired. Two walkers fell before I pulled the rifle, there was no time for hesitation. My finger slipped to the trigger, my eyes finding the sight. The nearest walker to the group dropped as a bullet rocketed through its head. I scrambled down from the RV. They were everywhere, blood dripping from feral open mouths as they decided who to pick off first. I shot again and two more walkers fell.

Shot after shot rained down upon them but they just kept coming. They were hungry, they wanted to feed. The tearing of flesh reached my ears and I turned as Jim took out the walker that ripped open Amy's neck. I turned my rifle and smashed the butt into the nearest walker, it fell to its knees and I pulled out my knife stabbing it through the skull. That one was close.

Everyone was making their way back to the RV. More gun shots sounded, the others were back. "Saskia! Come back to the RV!"

I didn't realise how far I had strayed from the vehicle. The adrenaline that was pumping through me didn't allow me to take in much of what was going on. I turned and looked back at the others, big mistake.

I blocked the mouth of the walker that came down on me. Its hands were inches from my clothes and I thanked god that I was wearing long sleeves. Its eyes were burning into mine and I couldn't help the scream that came from my mouth. I turned my head and tried to push it further away. This is it. I'm going to die. Its teeth came down inches from my face and then a gurgled death cry echoed far off in the back of its throat. Its skull had been pierced by an arrow.

I rolled sideways pushing the walker from me and scrambled backwards. I felt the blood on my face and my hands and sucked in a shaky breath. That was too close.

"Sask!" Glenn scrambled down next to me. He was shaking somewhat terrible and sweat beaded his forehead. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Glenn." There was a cry as Glenn helped me to my feet. I turned around; lying on the ground a few feet away was Andrea. She was cradling Amy in her arms. She was dead.

There was blood everywhere, walkers coated the ground but all I could hear was Andrea's cries. The stars were bright that night. We thought we were ok. We thought we were safe. But the world has some pretty fucked up way of showing people they're gonna be ok.

Nobody slept after that. I stayed awake, my back up against the front of the RV. Glenn sat next to me, the others were scattered about the camp. Andrea didn't move, she just stayed there her eyes never moving from Amy.

It was my fault. It was my fault Amy was dead. It was my watch and I didn't see them. It was my fault that they died. I should have seen them… but I was caught in my thoughts. I should have seen them coming but I didn't. It was my fault. It is my fault.

The night wasn't long. Everyone kept quiet but vigilant in case of another attack. But there wasn't. There wasn't another attack. Not another walker showed up. I couldn't help the hot, angry tears that were making their way down my cheeks. As morning came we built a fire. The geeks were hit in the head with a pickaxe and dragged to the fire.

Everyone decided that it was best to get it over with before Amy came back. But Andrea wouldn't move. She even held a gun to Rick when he wanted to tell her straight. It was best to leave her, let her mourn until she accepted the fact that she was one of them now. It would have to be done eventually.

The smell of burning flesh met my nose, Daryl and T-Dog were dragging geeks into the fire. Glenn had to remind them more than once that we don't burn our own. We bury them.

We lost so many people. We are going to lose more. Jim had been bit. Daryl wanted to kill him. We couldn't kill him. We couldn't lose the only part of ourselves that kept us human. We couldn't kill our own. Jim is still here, he's still alive and whether he is bit or not he is still one of us. At the moment. When he turns, I doubt even Rick could stop someone from putting a bullet or pickaxe in his head.

A memorial was held for our own. It was short. Quick. Andrea buried Amy, she did it on her own, Dale offered help but she didn't take it. All I could think was 'what if?' What if I had seen that walker? What if I'd taken the shot? Would Amy still be alive? Would everyone still be alive? Maybe I'd have died instead. I should have died. I would have died. If it wasn't for Daryl. The thought suddenly occurred to me that I, in this ridiculous and screwed up world, owed Daryl Dixon my life.

A decision was made later in the day that we would be travelling to the CDC. We would try and get Jim some help before he turned into a walker. It was a hundred miles away, Jim's fever was already reaching boiling point. He wouldn't last the drive, we all knew it. I had to go to the CDC; I will stay with the group. I've nowhere else to go if I don't go with them.

Morales and his family aren't coming with us. They're gonna try to get to family in Birmingham. They're gonna ride it out. I hope they're right about leaving the group. I hope they'll be ok.

When the sun rose the next morning we left. I took a seat in the back of T-Dogs car with Andrea. The ride was silent. I kept my eyes trained towards the roads, and the woods. I wouldn't let my eyes fail me again. If I saw walkers again I wouldn't let them jump us this time. The drive wasn't that long before something went to shit.

The RV stopped in front of us. The radiator had overheated and we would have to stop for a while. Jim wasn't doing to good either. The fever was worse, he couldn't take much more. He wanted to be left here, at the side of the road. That was his decision, it was on his head. Rick and Shane helped him out of the RV; put him up against a tree. We didn't stay long. Once the radiator cooled down we left. This time I sat in the RV with Jacqui, Glenn and Dale.

It was my fault we had to leave Jim. It was my fault Jim was going to die. It was my fault that we had to leave for the CDC.

* * *

I was surprised we reached the CDC before nightfall. The sight was welcome as my butt had become numb halfway into the drive. What wasn't welcomed though was the amount of corpses that littered the outside.

I slung my rifle over my shoulder and walker with the others towards the doors. The stench of bodies was overpowering. The shutters were down on the doors. I stayed behind the others as we walked, my eyes darted about. I would not fail this time. Rick was constantly reminding us to stay quiet but as we reached the doors the whole concept of being quiet was thrown out of the window.

They tried to budge the shutters but they could barely move them. In desperation they banged on the metal, but even if there was anybody inside they wouldn't hear. I watched the perimeter, my eyes darting around, off to my left I noticed Daryl was doing the same.

"There's nobody here," Said T-Dog, his voice dripping with loss.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Asked Rick.

My eyes glanced over to the left, then to the right, my eyes fell upon a walker dressed in army attire. Blood dripped from a wound in his face, his skull was dented slightly. The call went out immediately, but it did not come from me. "Walkers!" Yelled Daryl, pointing his crossbow at the geek and letting the arrow fly. It pierced the skull of the geek and it dropped to the floor.

Daryl was shouting, Carl and Sofia were hysterical. "Shut up!" Yelled Shane, pushing Daryl. "I said, shut up! Rick, this is a dead end!"

"Where are we gonna go?" Asked Carol, she gripped Sofia tightly. Only I was aware of the oncoming walkers that were hearing the racket.

"We have to get out of here!" I shout at the lot of them. "Can't you see? We'll be surrounded like we were last night if we stay here!"

I started to move away from the doors, surprisingly Shane was telling everyone to go as well. Rick was the only one who stayed put. They were coming, there were loads of them. Just like last night, we were sitting ducks.

"The camera!" Yelled Rick, holding up his hand. "It moved!"

"You imagined it," Reasoned Dale.

"It moved… It moved…" He repeated as if one entranced.

My mind was going into overload. We shouldn't still be here. We can't still be here. We're here because I messed up. "We can't stay here!" I yell again, my voice frantic. We can't lose anyone else. We won't lose anyone else.

Rick was yelling, pleading to someone that obviously wasn't there. The walkers were getting closer. My finger pressed lightly on the trigger, if they got to close I'd have to use it.

"You're killing us!" Rick shouted. "You're killing us!" And just like that the great door to the CDC opened and a blinding white light met all of us.

We all moved forward without question. The sound of a gun loading brought us out of our panic for the walkers. I kept my eyes on the doors. The walkers were far enough away, but I didn't want to give them a chance.

"Hello?" I heard our guns snap up, but I didn't turn. I listened to the voice and watched the walkers. "Anybody infected?" Of course that was the first question they were likely to ask. They wouldn't let us in otherwise.

"One of our group was," Rick replied calmly. "He didn't make it."

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"A chance,"

"That's asking an awful lot, these days." The voice was getting closer. Daryl had turned from the door to look at who was speaking but I wasn't going to move. If I moved they'd get in. "You all submit to a blood test… that's the price of admission."

"We can do that."

"You got stuff to bring in you do it now, once this door closes it stays closed." There was a flurry of movement in which they ran to retrieve items from outside. I didn't move. I wouldn't move. My gun was trained on the nearest geek. I could shoot him down. I would shoot him down. They carried our stuff in and yet I still didn't move. The doors closed and the man's voice rang out again.

"Vi, seal the main entrance and kill the power up here."

The shutters slid down. My eyes were still trained on the geek. He was ambling forwards, staring straight at me, eyes unwavering. I pictured Jim. Was he still by the tree? Has the fever taken him yet? Will we see him again? Will we have to kill him if we do?

"Are ya just gonna stand there all night?" I blinked, coming out of my thoughts, I didn't realise the shutters had fully closed. I dropped the gun to my side and turned to face Daryl.

"Nah, course not."

We followed the man, Doctor Edwin Jenner, towards the elevator that would take us to his labs. A blood test. Of course that had to be his admission. I hate needles. Always have, always will. The thirteen of us piled unto the huge elevator and waited while Jenner set the buttons. It was completely silent, that is until Daryl spoke up.

"Doctors all go round packing heat like that?" He asked.

"Well there were plenty left lying around so I familiarised myself." He said with a smile. "Well you all look harmless enough… except you…" He said playfully at Carl. "I'll have to keep my eye on you." Carl smiled at the comment.

Jenner lead us out of the elevator and down the halls. The walls were made completely of white brick. Spotlights hung on the walls, and doors were everywhere. This place was huge. There was a large rectangle cut out of the wall at the end of the hall. I'm guessing that's his main lab. Or was his main lab.

"Are we underground?" Asked Jacqui.

"You claustrophobic?" Said Jenner.

"A little…"

"Try not to think about it…" He walked into the darkness of the room at the end of the hall before calling out. "Vi! Bring up the lights in the big room."

On command the lights switched on, and I gazed around. Computers were set in the middle of the room and four big screens were set on the back wall. "Welcome to zone five," Said Jenner as we followed him in.

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" Asked Rick. Did he really need an answer? Didn't he know that they had probably all left? They probably wanted to be with their families, to try and get away before they got bit.

"I'm it. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Asked Lori from the back.

"Vi, meet our guests… tell them, welcome." It wasn't long before a loud computerised voice met my ears.

"Hello guests… Welcome."

"It's just me here… I'm sorry."

Jenner took us into a small room off to the side. One by one he got us to sit down and pull up our sleeves. I was after Carl. He placed the lower part of my arm onto the table and tied something around the top. I swallowed as he pulled out the needle. He glanced up, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before he pushed the needle into my skin. I winced. He noticed.

"Don't like needles, huh?"

"I've never really been a big fan," I felt the blood being taken, the small pot filled up quickly, and then he removed it. It was quick, but still it made goose bumps erupt all over my skin. He placed a small piece of cotton wool on the scratch and I smiled at him. "Thank you."

Dinner that night was a grand affair. I didn't really expect Jenner just to let us have his food, and wine. Wine! There was actually wine. There were loads of chairs, but I sat on the floor, it was comfortable. The plate was on my legs, balancing as I took a sip of the long missed liquid. Pasta… I couldn't remember the last time I had pasta. Everyone was laughing and joking, even Daryl who took pleasure in seeing Glenn's face go red after having some wine.

"It seems we haven't properly thanked our host," Said Rick standing and raising his glass.

"He is more than just our host," Emphasised T-Dog. Glasses were raised into the air, Daryl raised his bottle.

"Booyah!" He said, a chorus followed him.

I dropped my plate to the floor and stood up. Jenner had told us where our rooms were earlier so I excused myself quietly. Nobody questioned my departure. To be honest I wanted a shower and I wanted to sleep. I walked down the hall, the lights coming on along the wall as I walked by. I picked my room and locked the door behind me. I slung my rucksack on the floor and walked straight towards the shower.

The hot water was welcoming against my skin. I scrubbed myself clean, and then I scrubbed some more. I felt dirty… I felt wrong for enjoying the feel of the shower water on my skin when Amy has had her brains blown out by her sister. I felt wrong because Jim was either still by that tree or so far gone he was ripping the skin off somebody else. I felt wrong because Morales and his family aren't hear enjoying this with us. I felt wrong because I am still alive.

I climbed out of the shower and dried myself quickly before pulling on some pyjama's and climbed into bed. The sheets were cool against my skin. It was wrong. I had a nice comfy bed… yet I don't want it. I climbed out of the bed and pulled out my sleeping bag. Upon climbing in I allowed my eyes to close… If I was going to sleep I had to sleep now.

_I could see them… walkers… they were everywhere. The hillside was rough beneath my feet… they were bare… I had no shotgun, no rifle, no knives, nothing to defend myself. Just as they had nothing to defend themselves when they got bit. _

_I can hear Andrea screaming for Amy… Amy won't listen though; she's too busy chasing me… She wants me, she wants my blood, and she wants to feed on my flesh just like the walker fed on hers. I turn my head, just as I stumble. My knees come into contact with the dirt and they are upon me. Only this time, Daryl isn't there to put an arrow through their heads. _

_They tear at my legs, at my arms, everywhere. Their teeth graze my skin, their breath all over me, and then one clamps down, their jaw tightens on my stomach. They tear away the scar that the bullet left when all this started. They pull at my guys, they bite into my skin and all the while I'm screaming. Another set of teeth drop down on my arm and the flesh is pulled away. Blood spurts in all directions but it only spurs them on, they're hungry… so hungry… I cry out, try to gouge at their eyes, push them away but they are too strong. I cry for everyone, I cry for help, the help that won't come. And then I see my dad, lovingly gazing down at me, his smile warms me, distracts the pain. _

"_Daddy, help me… please…" I beg. _

"_Don't worry pumpkin, it'll all be over soon." His face morphs, he isn't my dad anymore… His head comes down, he snarls, blood coats my face and he rips at my throat. _

I shoot up from my sleeping bag. My face is drenched in a cold sweat. My cheeks are streaked with tears, but there is someone knocking at the door, they must have heard me.

"You alright in there?" It was Daryl… He must have been passing by.

It takes a moment for me to find my voice but when I do it's shaken. "Yeah… I'm fine… I'm fine."

But the truth is, I'm not fine… I don't suppose I'll ever be fine again. Not in this world…

* * *

**So what do you think of my story so far? I really hope you like it so far! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick note: This chappie is a little short, and heads up for the next chapter, i'll be changing to a third person POV :) **

* * *

Nightmares. Fears. There is always a time in some point in your life when you are haunted by them. Fear of death or fear of something worse. Fear of being eaten by the people you thought were dead comes close to worse.

I am scared. Scared purely because it was my dad that killed me in my dream. He was the one who woke me from my dream, not Amy or Jim, my dad. Sometimes people think dreams are a bad omen, some say that dreams can come true. Jim's dream did. Could it come true? Could my dad come from Alaska in his state, in death, and kill me? Maybe it's possible… Hopefully it's not.

I drag myself up from the floor and fold my sleeping bag. The knock at the door sounds again. "There's breakfast ready… If you want it." I'm surprised Daryl hadn't left yet… I pull my jumper over my head, change my jeans and pull on my chucks. Upon opening the door I was even more surprised to see Daryl leaning up against the opposite wall.

I smile softly and he slings the crossbow over his shoulder, heading down the hall. "Hey!" I say jogging down the hall after him. "I just… Thank you."

"What for?" He asked gruffly, turning to face me.

"For the other day… when you-" He raised his eyebrows, and I exhaled through my nose. "Thank you… for saving my life."

"Don't mention it…" And he took off down the hall again.

Powdered eggs. Powdered eggs and bacon. I couldn't remember the last time I had bacon. The salty meat was welcome in my stomach, although I doubt it did much for Glenn who was severely hung-over.

After breakfast Jenner took us back down to the big room. Everybody wanted answers, we all wanted the answers that Rick promised us we would get if we came here. TS-19 that was our answers. It's what the virus did to us after the fever set in.

It shut down your organs first, slowly working its way to the heart and brain. Then death. The regeneration period varied between people. I watched as the brain stems on the big screen darkened to black. It scanned to the second event… Flashes of red started to appear on the brain. It spread out, it was nothing like before. There was no electric impulses, no blue, no life. It was as if the mind had been ripped away and replaced with an empty shell. The memories were gone, the feelings were gone all that was there was the intense hunger for flesh. I jumped as the bullet pierced its skull.

In truth nobody knew what this was. Not even Jenner who had been studying this, who had seen this. He had no idea if it was microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal or even just the wrath of God. Nobody knew what this was, and if nobody knew what this was, we can never stop it.

I sat down, my back up against the wall. I pushed my head into my hands… we can do nothing to stop this. There is nobody else, there is only here. It was the last place on earth that we could find something to stop this and there was nothing. Not even a microbe of evidence that could lead to a cure.

"That clock, Dr Jenner," Spoke up Dale. "It's counting down… what happens at zero?"

My eyes snapped up to the red digital clock that hung on the wall. One hour… One hour till what?

"Basement generators… they run out of fuel…" He paused… he wasn't telling us anything.

"But that's not all… is it?" I say, "You're not telling us everything." Jenner ignored me, but Rick didn't. He called up to Vi.

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur." There was a flurry of movement. Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Glenn hurried down to the basement generators.

Facility wide decontamination. That sounds promising… Jenner had left the room. I have a feeling that guys brain is a box of frogs. The emergency lighting came on after that. Everyone else had gone back to their rooms; I stayed in the big room. I couldn't be bothered to move. I had my rifle slung over my shoulder and that's all that I really needed. I bent my head back, the metal was cool. It reminded me of home.

"_Mom! Mom! Look at me, Mom!" I waved over at my parents even though I should have been concentrating on my game. The soccer final, our team had never been in the soccer final before, and so far it was a one all draw. I was goalkeeper… I'd saved a few this game, but now with only two minutes left their strikers were on the attack and my defence weren't quick enough. I dived. I tried my best I really did but I missed. The ball went sprawling into the back of the net… we lost. _

_Dad took us out for milkshakes after that. I remember because he brought me a banana split to cheer me up. Banana splits always cheered me up. I ate the whole thing that day, I could never usually finish eating the whole thing, but that day I managed to. _

The sound of footsteps and loud voices brought me out of my thoughts. I could faintly taste ice cream on my tongue. The group followed Jenner in. They looked worried… It made me worry. Daryl snatched the bottle of whiskey from Jenner's hand. I heard the liquid slosh as it came into contact with the floor.

"It was the French, while our people were running out and committing suicide, they stayed in till the end. Thought they were close to a solution… The world runs on fossil fuel I mean, how stupid is that?" Said Jenner as he headed to the control panel.

"That's it, I don't wanna hear it!" Yelled Rick, "Lori, everybody get your things, we're getting out of here now!"

Everyone was a flurry of movement, they ran towards the doors just as an alarm sounded throughout the room.

"Ya'll heard Rick, everybody get your stuff and go!" Shane was yelling. I sucked in a breath. I knew what was happening. He wasn't going to let us leave. That thought was proven when the doors slid shut, blocking the exits.

"Did he just lock us in?" Glenn mumbled "He just locked us in!"

Everybody was yelling, screaming, Carl was crying. He never planned to let us out when we came in. Once that door closes it won't open again. There was a double meaning to that… we never saw it. Rick was pleading with him, Daryl was going nuts. I slammed my hands over my ears, it hurt to listen. There was too much yelling, too much noise. I scrunched my eyes shut, trying to block out everything. It was no use though, I could still hear them. They're too loud.

"H. ," Vi's electronic voice rang through my ears. "High Impulse Thermobaric fuel air explosives consist of a two stage aerosol ignition and produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other explosive except nuclear. A vacuum pressure effect ignites the oxygen between five thousand and six thousand degrees, is useful for the greatest loss of life and when structural damage is desired."

There was silence for a moment; I could feel the tears coming down my cheeks again. We are all going to die and there is nothing we could do to stop it. The scraping of metal met my covered ears then they were smashing at the door. But it would do nothing, they were designed to keep things in, they weren't going to break under axes.

I felt hands on mine pulling them away from my ears. I opened my eyes; Jacqui was staring right at me. I tried to smile but it only made the tears fall quicker. She was crying too, the tears were making slow tracks down her dark skin. She pulled me close, my head resting on her shoulder.

"It's going to be ok, sweetie." She soothed, running her hand through my hair in a comforting manner. "You're going to be ok."

"But we're not, are we?" I say to her, lifting my head from her shoulder. "We're gonna die, either way, be it slow or quick we're all gonna die."

Everybody was begging Jenner now. Carol for Sofia's life, Rick because there was still hope. The others just purely because they didn't want to die this way, they didn't come all this way for nothing. I pulled away from Jacqui and stood up.

"Look," I say to him brushing the tears from my eyes. "Who are you to tell us when we should die? When we should just lie down and say 'you know what I give up?' We didn't come all this way for you to tell us that we aren't allowed to leave, that we are to die here with you because you've given up! We haven't given up! Do you see us giving up now? No! We're still here; we're still fighting because at the end of this there has always got to be something worth living for. There's got to be something left for us, we have each other, and we have small snippets of happiness. Who are you to deny us our life? Never mind how much time we have left… You might have twenty minutes to live Jenner, but we haven't, because we haven't given up."

Jacqui was staring at me; they all were, all except Jenner who didn't make a move to open the door. Shane was like a man possessed; he pulled his shotgun inches from Jenner's face. We would never get out if he shot him.

"Shane! Put the fucking gun down!" There was a growl, somewhat feral echoing the back of his throat. He yelled out pulling the gun to the side and shooting. Jacqui gripped my arms and turned me away from the blast as shot after shot echoed around the room.

Daryl had started on the door again. I glanced back, he swung with all the effort he could, but in the end it didn't make a scratch. Rick was speaking, I had blocked him out though. All I could hear was the sound of metal on metal. Would it be quick? Would we feel the explosion when it ripped through us? Then I heard it, the door sliding and Daryl's yell for us to go. He was letting us go, he really was letting us go. I moved away from the computers, Jacqui followed me slowly. Glenn pulled on my arm and dragged me forwards.

The clock was counting down, four minutes, that's all we had left. I turned just as Jacqui pulled away from T-Dog.

"No! I'm staying…" She said, tears in her eyes. She was defiant, she meant it. I turned back around my eyes searching hers. "I'm staying, sweetie."

"That's insane!" Said T-Dog stepping forwards to grab her, I stepped forwards too. She couldn't stay. She can't stay. She'll die.

"No, it's completely sane! For the first time in a long time…" I walked forwards, flanking T-Dog. "I'm not ending up like Jim or Amy…"

"Jacqui, no… please don't" I stepped forwards again. She shook her head.

"There's no time to argue and no point… not if you wanna get out. Just get out!" She pushed T-Dog backwards, "Get out!"

Shane pulled T-Dog, but I stayed. "Jacqui, you can't please… don't do this." She cupped my face in her hands and brushed the tears away. There were feet coming up behind us. "Please, come with us…"

"I can't… I'm sorry, honey." She nodded, and I turned just as Daryl pulled my arm, dragging me away.

"No! Jacqui! Please!" My voice was choked. Tears were falling down her face. Daryl spun me round and pushed me ahead of him.

"Just go will ya! It's what she wants."

We ran, all of us, up the flights of stairs up to the first floor. I was on autopilot; Daryl kept pushing me ahead of him. I stumbled a few times but kept upright. The sun was bright as we hit the top floor, the tension could be cut with a knife, nobody knew how long we had left. The doors wouldn't open, the glass wouldn't break. We're gonna be trapped in here anyway. The tiniest bit of hope that we had was now flickering into nothing. That is, until Carol pulled the grenade from her bag.

Rick didn't hesitate he ran to the glass and pulled the pin, in the next moment everybody was on the ground as the explosion split the glass. I pulled my rifle, brushing the tears from my eyes. Tears were never good, you couldn't shoot with tears in your eyes, it clouded your sight. I stood, running again as we all escaped through the smashed window.

There was no point in being quiet now. The walkers would have already heard the explosion and they would definitely hear the one that was going to happen. The guns went off quickly; I shot one walker dead in the middle of the head. _That's for Jacqui. _I was still ahead of Daryl, I don't know why but he shoved me towards his jeep. I opened the door quickly, and climbed in, he on the other side. My breathing was ragged. I glanced ahead at the others, why weren't the cars moving? Why weren't we going?

I then saw why, two people climbed out of the window that we had not long exited out of. Dale and Andrea. That meant Jacqui was still inside with Jenner, she wouldn't change her mind. They ran, a wall of sandbags lay in front of them. I glanced back at the CDC, the bright flicker of flames could be seen in the windows.

"Oh shit…" I mumbled as they dived behind the sandbags.

"Down!" Yelled Daryl, my hands instinctively flew over my head as I ducked down below the windows.

The whole road shuddered as the building ignited. The explosion was tremendous, the shattering of glass and crumbling of brick could be heard over the bangs. The fireball was huge, even with my head tucked under my arms I could see the flames through the window. Daryl moved first, his head came up above the wheel. I sucked in a breath before looking out, the flames were still spiralling towards the sky, a dark black cloud was spreading into the air. Jacqui is gone.

The RV rumbled into life in front of us. Daryl turned the key in the ignition of his truck. I kept my eyes trained on the burned remains of the CDC. Only one thing bounced around in my head. Why did Daryl pull me away?


End file.
